The Fourth Era Saga: Betrayed by the Brotherhood
by SHWsaga576
Summary: Kir'Nan is a Khajit has been the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood from when he was a youngling. Now in his young ages, Kir'Nan has decided that he wants to be more a simple assasin. But for such a close family, the Brotherhood do not support his choice..
1. Prologue

"That was easier than Kir'Nan thought" I said as I fitted the guard's armor onto my body. I tugged hard on the armor, trying to pull it over my fur. The guard's naked lifeless body laid on the ground, his blood slowly oozing from a knife wound. "True. He never saw it coming" Nazir said, staring coldly at the corpse that rested at my feet. A dead man also stained the ground at his feet, and he too was struggling at the armor. "Damn guards, how could someone trust something so small to guard their city?" he remarked, in his usual serious, deadpan voice. I only chuckled at this.

Nazir was a Redguard. A brown skinned man, with white and black colored hair, and a beard to match it as well. He was tall and well built in structure. He was surprisingly stealthy as well. He also had this sort of habit, to speak in a very serious and deadpan voice, so no one could understand if he was joking or completely serious. And did I mention, he was one of the greatest assassins the world had ever seen? After me, of course

Me? I'm Kir'Nan. I'm a Khajit, a hybrid of a man and a feline. It may seem strange to you, but in the land of Skyrim, I just given two glances, and that's the end of that story. My entire body is covered in yellow and black fur, which I don't mind that much. My whole life, I had been raised to kill. At a young age, from the stories I hear, I was abandoned in the middle of the forest. My family, not interested in children, left me there to die. I sat there, only a baby, crying up to the heavens. That is, until he found me. Nazir, at the age of 35, he found me and, taking pity on me, picked me up. He walked all the way from a forest in Windhelm and he took me to that sacred place near Dawnstar. This was the Sanctuary, to the Dark Brotherhood.

The Dark Brotherhood was an organization that 'handled' problems to the civilians that needed it. We would be summoned, and given a contact, to hunt and kill. And when we found that contact, well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. They took me and, not only trained me to kill, but gave me the family I never had. But little did I know that, at that age, they would become my greatest enemies.

I was finally able to stretch the armor across my fur, completely covering it. Lastly, I placed the iron helmet over my head, and turned to Nazir.

"Well, how does Kir'nan look?" I asked him.

"…Furry" he responded in a pessimistic tone.

"Ah, who asked you?" I snapped, and continued to fit my armor on properly.

"The big headed Khajit did, that's who. Now come on, cat, we better get moving. Just because a Sanctuary is around the corner, doesn't mean we can lollygag. I'm pretty sure the other guards would like to why a Khajit is walking around in a guard's suit" He explained.

"Alright, grandpa, you don't have to give me the entire lecture" I said. He laughed at this, and patted me on the shoulder.

"Come on, let's go."

* * *

We ran through the dark, snow-covered streets of Dawnstar as the guards chased after us. "Get the assassins! Avenge the Jarl!" They yelled, their cries lined with vengeance and anger.

Nazir was running ahead of me. I followed him as we maneuvered through the alleyways between the citizen's homes/ He knew this place by heart. You'd think he lived here at some point, but not much is known of Nazir's past.

Our chase to an abrupt end when we encountered a small army of soldiers outside of the local inn. We turned to run the other way, but soldiers blocked that exit as well. They had us surrounded.

"Cornered like rats" one of the guard's commented, causing the other guard's to give a low a chuckle

"Assassins do not get cornered" I responded

I pulled out two throwing knives and chucked it into the crowd of army men. With awesome accuracy, they both landed in the chest of two different soldiers. They dropped dead with a thud.

This threw the other soldiers in a state of rage and bloodshed, and before you knew it, they were charging towards us, screaming a battle cry I had never heard before. I was not intimidated, for I pulled out my Orcish daggers, crafted by one of the best Orsimer blacksmiths in this region of Tamriel, and prepared for the worst. Nazir, emotionless as ever, did the same and unsheathed his sword nonchalantly. This is when the real war began.

As two guards charged towards me, I took one dagger and shoved it into one's stomach. Then, as the other approached, I swiftly took the other dagger, and slashed his throat. As the two fell, I turned to Nazir. With a quick glance, I could see at least four guards at his feet already, oozing out blood that flowed like a river.

The carnage continued in this fashion, until only a few remained. Nazir, seeing this as a opportunity, grabbed my hand, and drew me out of the small rumble. It took them a small while to grow wise, but then the chase had once again started.

We were right on the border when Nazir stopped. "What's wrong?" I asked. He looked around. "This place looks familiar…follow me" he said and once again, sprinted off. I followed after him, and so did the guards. We ran down the pathway and turned a sharp right. That's when I saw it.

A large stone door, with a skull on the front. I instantly recognized it as one of the many signs of the Dark Brotherhood, showing a sanctuary where assassins can duck their heads. I couldn't understand why a sanctuary was all the way in Dawnstar.

The door said something in a raspy whisper.

"What is life's greatest illusion?" it croaked.

"Innocence, my brother" Nazir replied.

"Welcome, brother" the door replied. It creaked open and Nazir and I slipped in. As we walked through, the door slammed shut. "Stay down, and keep your mouth shut" Nazir ordered and we crouched behind the door.

We listened and listened, until we heard the shaking of the armor and the heavy footsteps

"Where did they go?" one voice inquired

"Are you sure they went this way?" another one asked

"Of course I'm sure! They must have swum through the water away from us. Damn assassins, they're everywhere these days" the first voice said.

"Oh well. We may as well head back, inform the town and inform the other Jarls of Skald's demise"

"Yuck! I hate work!"

The footsteps continued and, though they took their own sweet time, they soon depleted and the crashing of the waves on the shore we're all I heard. Nazir and I shared a glance with each other, and sighed in relief. The crisis was averted.

"Come on," Nazir said, "let's head home"

* * *

First off, I'm just a really dedicated fan of Skyrim. Secondly, you just read the beginning of something new. The Fourth Era Saga is a collection of stories following other heroes during the year of the Dragonborn's recognition. This includes the Listener, The Arch-Mage, The Harbringer of the Companions, a member of the Thieves' Guild, and lastly the Dragonborn. And yes, it will conflict with the original story of the game, but if you can bear with me, I promise that this series will make you look at Skyrim in a different light!

-SHW


	2. One Final Contract

After a long walk, Nazir and I finally made it back to the outskirts of Falkreath. There, sitting under a small incline, was the door to the current Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. It was the same as the one in Dawnstar, with a large skull engraved on it. As we approached it, it gave the same low and faint whisper as the one in Dawnstar.

"What is the music of life?" it rasped

"Silence, my brother" Nazir replied

"Welcome home" it stated, as the door slowly creaked open. Nazir and I crept in and it closed shut behind us.

The Sanctuary was our large base of operations. Being underground, it consisted of many rooms that resembled rat holes to me. In the middle of it all, we had a small clearing that had a nice small spring, and an area used for improving our weapons. This was where we would get together and share our latest stories.

As Nazir and I were going down the steps that lead to this claring, everyone was already there, sharing their latest contracts. The person speaking right now was Babette, the un-child. When I say un-child, I mean she has the appearance of a little girl but not the soul of one. But being bitten by a vampire at the age of ten, 300 years ago does this to you. She usually uses this as an advantage in her contracts, and never stops talking about it.

"They never expected that his little servant girl would end up shoving a dagger in his back" she bragged

"Babette, another fantastic tale!" Gabriella, the dark elf, commented

"They never see it coming with you, Babette" Veezara, the Argonian, said.

"Hmph" was all Festus, our local wizard, said.

A heavy-built man stood from the blacksmith area. His grey hair indicated aging, yet he was as fit as the rest of us. Arnbjorn, our werewolf. "That's nothing. Lemme tell you about the time in Markath. Now THAT'S a story" he stated, and joined their conversation circle.

We entered the room, and as soon as we were sensed, all their attention turned to us. "Nazir! Kir'nan! How did it go? How was the trip?"We were bombarded with questions, all at once. Nazir was eventually able to calm them down and explained what had happened. He told them everything, from the chase, to the small conflict between the guards, and finally the Dawnstar Sanctuary. They all laughed when they heard that I accidently woke up the whole army, by knocking over a tankard on the Jarl's end table. "How was Kir'nan supposed to know they were such light sleepers?" I asked in my defense. We all laughed, except Babette, who stormed off because I stole her spotlight.

We heard footsteps behind us and we all turned. There stood our leader, Astrid. She was a young, slender woman who had pale skin and blonde hair. She had a frustrated look on her face, and I could understand why.

"Can someone PLEASE get this fool away from me!" she pleaded.

"Is the Listener here? Has the Listener returned? There he is! Listener!" a sickening, shrill voice screeched. Cicero.

Cicero was a pale man, who was surprisingly short for his age but was still very fierce. He wore a jester's outfit in the colors of the Dark Brotherhood, red and black, for reasons unknown to us all. The reason he was here, was because he was the Keeper. His duty was to protect the Night Mother, a corpse who who served a very powerful purpose in our family. His other duty was to serve the Listener, the only person who could hear the Night Mother. That person was unfortunately me.

He eargerly ran towards me, the way a loyal dog would run towards his master after not seeing him for the longest while. He embraced me into a grip so tight, air literally evacuated from my lungs. "Let…me…go fool" I gasped as he continued to squeeze. I heard the rest of the family chuckling silently amongst themselves. I shot them a sideward glance, and they immediately made a futile attempt to suppress their merriment.

Cicero released me from his bear hug, and just continued to worry my well-being. "Is the Listener alright? Was he hurt? Shall Cicero grab you some moon sugar? He knows how the Listener craves the moon sugar!" he continued to spew out more nonsense, only to bring more laughter from the family. "Would you like some moon sugar, Listener? Festus will fetch you some, oh great Listener!" Festus mocked, making his voice as high pitched as possible. He was only happy he wasn't the subject of mockery this time around.

Cicero didn't mind, or even seemed to notice. He only waited for my command. I sighed in frustration, "No Cicero, I am fine" I replied, my teeth clenched tight. He only game me his sickly, crooked smile in response. "As you wish, Listener. Cicero will listen to the Listener's command" he stated and let out a loud cackle at his own joke. The whole Brotherhood recoiled, causing me to take another heavy sigh.

The family made me feels as though Cicero was my responsibility. If Cicero did something, I ad to make an excuse for him. If Cicero was being bullied by the others, which happened quite frequently, I had to have his back. Frankly I was sick of it, and sick of him! But I'd never say a word. Even a highly trained assassin as myself still valued another's feeling. As long as it never interfered with business.

Astrid cleared her throat and all attention was turned to her immediately. "So Nazir, Kir'nan, bottom is the assassination of Skald went well?" she asked. Nazir scoffed lightly but arrogantly. "Of course it went well Astrid, you know us better than that!" he retorted. She simple nodded, and gave her small half-smile to show acceptance. "That's what I like to hear. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my quarters" she said and turned on her heel to walk out.

"Actually Astrid…Kir'nan needs to talk to you…privately"

* * *

She closed the doors to her chambers shut. She placed a wodden bar in front of it, ensuring security. Astrid was always a paranoid being and took "privately" too seriously.

"So is something wrong, Kir'nan? Or did you just want to escape the fool?"She inquired

"A little bit of both" I admitted and we both laugh.

"Honestly Kir'nan, what's wrong?"

"Well Astrid…all of Kir'nan's life, he's been a killer. Ever since found him"

"Ah, like how Arnbjorn found me"

"Exactly, Kir'nan and Astrid, they were raised as children together! You are like Kir'nan's sister"

"And you are my brother"

"Which is why it would be no easier…to request an early retirement"

Her eyes widened, indicating how taken aback she was by my request. It was true, Astrid was brought to the Brotherhood by Arnbjorn after she had killed her uncle. Around the same time, Nazir had brought me home in a bundle of rags. Astrid was basically my big sister, and taught me what I could not learn from the others. Her hearing of my request to leave, sent her into quite a fit.

"Leave the Brotherhood? But why? Why would anyone want to leave the Brotherhood?" se questioned, going on rambling.

"Astrid! Astrid! Calm down!"

"B-but why, Kir'nan? Just tell me why?"

"It's just…Kir'nan as done this is whole life! He feels he is destined for more! Like that dragon-man that's supposed to kill the dragons! Kir'nan wants to do something like that! He wants that sort of glory!" I explained passionately. She snapped out of her state of despair, but still looked at me with eyes filled of worry.

"I see" was all she could say.

"So, you understand, yes? Does Kir'nan have your blessings?" I asked. She sighed heavily.

"Are you SURE this is what you want?"she asked, her tone as sharp as my dagger. I nodded and she sighed heavily.

"Alright, Kir'nan. You're free to do as you wish. But, you must do one last thing. One…final…contract…"

* * *

**This is where the plot takes a huge turn into my domain! Welcome to the Ill Mind of SHW (and I did not steal that from a rapper). Hehehe! Note, if you see any words that look like an H should be in it, eg te, my H is messing up so sorry about that.**

**So bear with me, the story is about to pick up right after this chapter. Also, if you would, leave a review. It really inspires me to write, and it even inspired me to write this chapter, because I'll be honest, last chapter I wasn't really feeling the vibe to go on. But then I read Fluttershy24's review, and the review of an unknown guest, and I knew that I HAD to continue the story. So keep the reviews coming, and thanks again!**

**-SHW**


	3. The Trap

I arrived at Clearpine Pond, a small clearing where this skooma deal was supposed to take place. Skooma was the most prominent drug in Tamriel, which some consider a poison. Apparently there was supposed to be a meeting between a dealer and the consumer. But the consumer performed the Black Sacrament, a way of summoning the Brotherhood, and requested that I kill the dealer. But at the time I arrived, it was far before the appointed time for these two to meet. Whenever I arrived early for a contract, I always take the time to think.

I thought about my past first. This was a topic that always stayed on my mind, no matter what. I tried as hard as I could, to remember what had happened back to that night. But nothing ever came to mind, and as hard as I tried to remember, I tried just as hard to dismiss the idea.

To distract myself, I then began to think about my future. What would I do? Maybe my skills don't have to go to waste. I could join the Imperials, or maybe if I'm lucky, the Stormcloaks. And I could even find love. I'll be honest, I prefer Nordic women over my own. Khajit women were too fierce and feisty, not to mention sneaky. Nord women were strong, and independent. But the Nords have a trait of being naturally racists, so it would be very unlikely they would even give me a second glance, if not to make sure I didn't steal anything

Suddenly my mind shifted over to the present and I started thinking about the Brotherhood. My heart grew heavy as fond memories of my time there played over and over again in my mind. I would miss it all. The contract, the laughs as we mocked each other. I would especially miss Nazir's cooking. His sweetrolls would make your taste buds do the cha-cha. They throw me a party, but the atmosphere was so depressing. They rarely spoke, they seemed so grave. I guess my resignation really got to them.

Before I knew it, the sun had fallen, and the two moons of Nirn had risen. The deal, by my estimation, would occur shortly. I scurried up a tree and took cover in the leaves, still having a clear view of the clearing.

A short time after waiting, two men arrived on the scene. They were both wearing a black cloaks and one was carrying a very large crate. This must have been where all the skooma was. This guy must have been an Orc, considering how large the crate was. But that was neither here nor there. Instinctively, I took out my glass bow, and pulled back on the string, and steadied my aim at the dealer. But something wasn't right. They weren't even talking, just standing there. How odd.

Suddenly, my ears caught a soft sound. The sound of something whizzing through the air. Very, very fast.

A sharp pain ran up my body from my leg. "Ack!" I shrieked. My vision began to blur and my legs and arms became heavy. I recognized what was happening right away. The arrow was coated with a stamina poison, a very strong poison I might add. Who said cats always land on their feet? I landed flat on my back.

My arms and legs weren't responsive. It took a few seconds for my vision to properly clarify. I was in plain sight of the dealer and the consumer, and they were glaring right at me. Was that chuckling I heard?

The dealer dropped the crate. It landed on it's side and the lid flipped open. Empty. The dealer took of his hood, and I gasped.

"Nazir?" I slurred, as I was still fatigue because of the poison? Yes, it was him. My savior, my mentor stood before me. He grinned, almost mockingly. "I have to say, Arnbjorn, I had my doubts in Astrid's plans" he confessed. The consumer took of his hood, to reveal Arnbjorn.

"My wife is as cunning as a fox, Nazir. In more ways than you can imagine" Arnbjorn replied, a mischievious smirk on his face.

"That is information I would rather not know, friend" Nazir stated, visibly disgusted.

I mustered some strength, and was able to turn to on my back. I felt as vulnerable as a Mudcrab. Nazir made an audible signal, and I heard rustling behind me in the bushes.

I turned my head, very slowly, to see the rest of the family burst from the leaves. Veereza, Gabriella, Festus and Babette. All excluding Astrid.

Gabriella was sheathing an elven bow. So she was the sharpshooter. She did have the best aim in the entire family. After me, of course.

Now they surrounded me. Festus, Veereza and Gabriella were behind me. Babette, Nazir and Arnbjorn were in front. All of them chuckled darkly, and this was officially when it dawned to me.

It was a trap.

They closed in on me, and there was no possible way of escape

"Wh-why are you doing this?" I asked, almost sounded like I was begging

"You're leaving the Brotherhood aren't you?" Nazir asked.

"Yes but-"

"There are no buts, Kir'nan!" Babette interjected.

"There's a reason you've never heard of anyone leaving the Brotherhood before" Arnbjorn explained.

"You-you'd kill Kir'nan? After everything we've been through?" I screamed angrily, but they only laughed at my dismay.

"Apologizes, friend. But we have a motto. Loose ends and all that" Festus piped.

Festus and Veereza grabbed both of my arms, and made me kneel upright.

"Who will do the honors?" Nazir questioned.

"Allow me" Babette volunteered. Nazir gave her a steel dagger, which she accepted unhappily. She was hoping to dig her fangs into me, but we've all seen her feed at least once. We'd do anything to prevent seeing it a second time.

She approached me, slowly. She was savoring this moment of me, being trapped like an elk. She always had a certain hatred for me. She was jealous of my success, of me being the Listener. This was her way of getting retribution.

She stood in front of me, only an inch taller than me, because of my position. She grinned, such an evil sinister smile she had. "Any last words, oh great and powerful Listener?" she asked sarcastically. She was enjoying this way too much, and it only made me feel ashamed to have fallen in such a trap. "One way or another, you will all pay! All of you! Kir'nan will kill you ALL!" I promised savagely. "Of course you will Kir'nan" she agreed, putting more emphasis on the sarcasm. The others laughed and I realized there was no use for the threats. I was already dead.

But as she lifted her dagger above her head, a low rumbling was heard in the trees behind us. No, not a rumbling, but a ferocious all turned to the source of the sound, to find a large looming shadow towering over us. "What…is that?" Nazir asked, completely astonished.

If a dragon can save the Dragonborn, why couldn't a werewolf save me?

* * *

**Dramatic, isn't it? Anyways, another installment to the first Fourth Era Saga story. I'll be honest, I don't really like this chapter that much, but it's not up to me, it's up to you. Also, I'm quite dissapointed in how short the chapters are, because I usually write out my stories before I type them, and this was a good 9 pages. But I guess it's okay since people don't really want to read a REALLY long story, we've all been there, we've all done that. So anyways, I'm just rambling now. I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!**


	4. The Chase is On

The first one to move was probably Veezara. He pounced on the werewolf with his dagger drawn. The werewolf must have sensed him as soon as he jumped, because he swatted Veezara away like a helpless fly. He flew into the pond surrounding the clearing and lay there lifelessly. I was almost sure he was dead. One.

Gabriella came after the werewolf next. Unlike Veezara, she successfully landed onto the beast's back. She began frantically stabbing at him. Festus joined in and began tossing fireballs as well. It was an amazing assault, and it amazed me how quickly, and somewhat nonchalantly, the werewolf reacted. He reached behind his back, and getting a firm grasp on Gabriella's robes, ripped her off his back with her kicking and screaming for help.

Grabbing her legs, he used her as a sort of human whip, and used her to smack Festus directly in the head. He dropped to the ground, his neck bent at an unnatural angle. Gabriella, still at the mercy of the monster, begins to weep as she dangled helplessly from his claw. With ease, it flung her into the trunk of a tree. A sickening crack was heard as her back wrapped around the trunk of the tree. She dropped to the ground. Three.

Nazir was the next one to try and defeat my savior. He approached him and seamlessly slashed his right leg with his curved sword. The monster howled in pain and fell to his knees. As Nazir reeled back for the killing blow, the werewolf took his right paw and slashed Nazir across the face. He yelped and flew across the clearing. The werewolf began to stand on his feet. Only to be tackled by ANOTHER werewolf appeared on the scene. I was shocked by the random encounter, but it didn't take long for me to realize it was Arnbjorn, trying to buy Nazir and Babette some time.

Arnbjorn tackled his attacker to the ground, and the two became engulfed in a battle to the death. Claws and blood was drawn in this fight to the death. Through the corner of my eye, I saw Babette ran to Nazir's aid.

"Come on, we gotta get outta here, Nazir" Babette pleaded.

"Not until I skin both the cat and dog alive!" Nazir growled savagely, his hand clutching the right side of his face which oozed red.

"How did that go the first time?" Get up, Redguard! We need to leave now!" she reprimanded.

I looked back at the werewolves and was stunned to find one of them dead on the ground. The dead one had gaping claw marks that stained it's fur with a ruby red. Take a wild guess which werewolf that was.

My savior turned back to Nazir and Babette, but they were already speeding way on a white mare. Now the only sound I could hear was the faint rushing of water, and the wolf's low and heavy panting. No mocking statements of the assassins, no screams, no howling, just the natural silence of the clearing.

Then suddenly, the wolf stopped panting and stood up completely straight. He turned to me, looming like a dark shadow in the moonlight. It's eyes were filled with hunger and malice.

* * *

If it was the adrenaline or the stamina potion wearing off, I couldn't tell and I didn't care. I was running through the dense forest as fast as I could. I heard it's hungry growls close behind me, as though it was only one weak pounce away from ripping out my throat. I squeezed myself between the trees, exerting more force than needed. I wasn't as hot-headed as my former family; I knew when to take flight, and this was the perfect time.

It wasn't long until I was literally running on fumes. My legs suddenly stopped and refused to go further. My surrounding suddenly began to darken, and all I could hear were my own sharp intakes of breath. No growling. Wait, no growling, I thought. Then where was-

My thought process was interrupted as a dark claw grew from the shadows and slashed at my chest. Three long gashes were made through my tunic.

The werewolf slowly stalked towards me, playing with its final prey. I fumbled around for something, anything to use against him. Nothing was found. All I had was what was in my pockets. But then it struck me. As soon as the werewolf jumped upon me, I pulled out my dagger and with the last of my fumes, I lunged it into his chest.

The pure steel, a known poison to lycans began to literally burn at its skin. It cried a blood-curdling howl that echoed throughout the entire forst. And even though fireballs and curved swords did nothing, this dagger caused the werewolf to quickly retreat. I collapsed to the ground, now breathing faintly, as blood continued to flow out of my wounds. The last thing I remember was the sound of a horse's hooves clamping on the ground.

* * *

I opened my eyes weakly, still in great pain. Strangely, I was no longer on the dirty floor of the forest, but was laying on the hard comfort of a bed roll. My wounds were bandaged well. And I was not alone.

A young lady stood over me, tending at my bandages. She had brown skin, but not like a Redguard. The war-paint over her nose suggested Nord lineage.

I tried to sit up but she laid a hand on my chest, and gently pushed me back down. I tried to speak but only a raspy croak leaked out of my mouth. She placed a finger over it and hushed me. "Rest" she ordered in a kind, sincere voice. And almost like it was a spell, my world began to fade to black. This last thing I saw was the blurry outline of her face, then darkness.

**DISCLAIMER: I guess it was time this made a return :/ it's almost been a year since I updated this story, but I released the other installment to the Fourth Era Saga, it only seemed appropriate I return to the one that started it all. Also, there's somewhat an Easter egg in this installment, one of the many that connects each story. Shouldn't be that hard to find :) Thanks for reading guys. Later!**


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